


Castaways

by Lionsmane



Series: Love between Warriors [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fili the A plus sibling, Healing Sex, Kili mortified, Kili the crying shoulder, Tauriel in pain, big violation, exploring Sindar vs Sylvan, harmful elf spells, healing elf magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-05-22
Packaged: 2018-01-21 22:18:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1566029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lionsmane/pseuds/Lionsmane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is part 2 of the Love between Warriors series.  I began it as fluffy smut but it has taken on a life of its own, and taken a darker turn.</p><p>The first chapter is still light, but be warned of a rape scene in chapter 2.</p><p>Kili and Tauriel are still the focal point of the story, but unfortunately they have really pissed a bunch of characters off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I came here for an argument

“Tauriel, _mellon amin_ …”

“Do not call me that! You shall not have that from me, you shall never have any part of me ever again!” Legolas ducks as she throws another goblet at him and it shatters against the wall of her chambers, its shards joining a growing collection of broken items on the floor at his feet.

“We have been together from childhood. Surely there is enough good history between us to work through this Tauriel, you are being unreasonable…”

“ _Auta miqula orqu!!!!”_

“I have not touched you!!” he shouts, frustrated, “I have left you alone in this room for 6 days now and only come to you in hopes of reconciliation, to make peace with you—“

“--and claim your Princely rights! You keep me here like an animal in a cage until when? Until you win my heart back? I will never yield to you!” Her eyes flash but he hears a ragged edge in her voice. It tears at his heart. ‘ _Win my heart back’_? So it had been his once?

“Tauriel…For some time, for a very long time, I have had feelings for you. Feelings that have grown beyond the camaraderie we had when we were children—“

"SPARE ME!”

“Tauriel how can you let a few weeks with a _Naugrim_ cancel out six hundred years of kinship between us!!?”

“It is you who canceled a lifetime of our friendship by claiming rights to my body in front of 20 strangers and then throwing me over your horse like I was a heathen object of ransom!!!!”

“I was angry. I saw you with that dwarf and I could not believe you would allow yourself to be touched by such a one as that—“

“Do not speak of what you do not know or understand!!!”

He had thought that if he could just get her away from there, bring her back here to their home, to the place of her kin and centuries of service, to the place where the two of them shared a million fond memories of friendship, that she would come to her senses. The ride here had been one of the coldest and saddest experiences of his life. She refused to speak to him or even look at him. For days this had continued as he had visited her in her chambers, trying in every way he could to achieve a truce with her. He had offered her food and drink and she had left it untouched. He had tried talking to her, but she would not respond. He had even tried playing the Elven harp for her but this was not his strength, being more a warrior than an artist, and she had only rolled her eyes and this had not gone well.

And it had not helped that his father King Thranduil had ordered her confined to these rooms without her weapons for her disobedience in following the dwarves to Laketown, and even further for her now publically known liaison with one of them. The whole of the Realm spoke of it now in hushed tones; their Captain of the Guard and that young _Naugrim_ with the dark hair…

And probably the fact that he had not been able to apologize had not helped either.

The words would not come. The pain of seeing her with another was still too fresh.

But at least she was talking to him now. Well…yelling. Anything was better than that awful silence.

He finally shakes his head. “You are right. I do not understand. I do understand how with your Sylvan lineage you would choose to lower yourself further—“

This time he does not duck fast enough and is struck hard in the temple by a stoneware mug.

“Get out!! Get out Legolas! _A min delotha lle!!!”_

Perhaps silence had been better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mellon amin = my friend  
> Auta miqula orqu = go kiss an orc  
> A min delotha lee = I hate you  
> Naugrim = dwarf


	2. Night time in the Realm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems fitting that there is a lightening storm outside as I post this tonight. I almost feel I'm going to be struck down if I get too close to a window.  
> I have never written anything like this, but it kept swimming around in my head insisting to be written, so here it is.  
> I didn't make it graphic. But it is still pretty affecting.  
> Comments welcome as always.

It is night time in the Woodland Realm.

Thranduil walks through the corridors of his underground fortress with his personal guard. It is a ritual he does every night. If he moves slowly, stretches his awareness carefully, he can find out much. He does not even need to have his eyes open.

The two men who accompany him are well trained and know their place. They do not speak. For all intents and purposes, they do not see or hear either, and whatever they do see or hear, they forget.

Thranduil’s head turns slowly from side to side, his crown of winter branches sparkling with pearls and icy clear amethysts. There behind that wall of oaken roots is a chamber where three Sylvan females share a room. One weeps because her lover is the keeper of the keys who allowed the dwarves to escape some weeks ago. He was sent down today, his status greatly diminished.

No great loss. Such weakness must be weeded out.

To his right is another room. The leathery, metallic scent of a fight comes from there. One of the Sylvan males has challenged an elf of the Sindar to a duel. The Sylvan is a scrapper, and is actually doing well. Thranduil makes a mental note to watch this one. Sylvan elves with useful skills are of great value to him, since very often they can be manipulated by their desperate desire for status…

The next chamber is a sleep chamber for younglings. Twenty children of the Sylvan line lie there in the dark, their hair shining in reds and browns around their delicate ear tips. The other children, those blonde headed jewels of the Sindar line live and sleep far from here in the royal palace section of the fortress. There are only three Sindar children, and Thranduil has often worried about this. The three have the same mother, one of the only Sindar adult females in the royal guard, whom he had ordered sired by three different Sindar men of his choosing. The purity of the line was thus preserved, but Thranduil remains confounded by the far greater success the Sylvan elves seem to have at reproducing…

He is now walking into the residential area of the Royal Guardsmen. He senses wakefulness, restlessness. They are talking of Tauriel, their fallen Captain, whose chamber resides at the top of this hallway. He senses the raw curiosity and base greed that so often accompanies rumor. He can hear snatches of their words; _Legolas is a fool, Did she really mate with a dwarf?, … a Sylvan elf as our Captain, …Never should have allowed it…_

and beneath it all, the unspoken: _Who will be Tauriel’s replacement?_

Thranduil’s mouth curls upwards into a satisfied sneer. _Perfect._

He has been patient long enough. Tauriel’s chambers lie just ahead.

His personal guards take their place on either side of her door as they reach it.

*************************

Tauriel sits awake beneath a circular window that looks upwards at the night sky. There is no moon tonight, but the stars are bright against the ink blackness, and twinkle as the winter wind blows through the air.

Not many rooms in this Realm have such a window. She wonders how long they will allow her to keep it. Thranduil has not spoken to her since confining her to these quarters, but with his son Legolas continuing this stubborn and impossible courtship, she suspects things cannot end well for her. Her status will be greatly diminished by her disobedience and association with the dwarves. She will not keep her captaincy.

She is uncertain what to do next. She never really felt that she belonged in the Woodland Realm except for her close friendship with Legolas. And with that so badly broken…

She is startled by the sound of her door opening and the sound of footsteps. She turns and is astounded and somewhat mortified to see Thranduil standing there. Tauriel is dressed for her bedchamber, in a sheer nightdress covered by a deep green belted robe, and she is painfully aware of her bare feet and legs in the presence of her King.

“My Lord!” She says, bowing her head and clicking her feet together automatically in spite of her lack of boots, “Forgive me, I am out of countenance. I did not know you would be visiting me at this late hour.”

“Be not concerned over your attire, Tauriel.” Something in his voice catches at Tauriel’s senses, sends a shiver down her back. She looks up at him, suddenly, inexplicably wishing she had a weapon.

“I have come to speak to you about your…situation. You have served the Woodland Realm well as my Captain of the Guard. I am loathe to lose you. But with your disobedience to me,” He is walking slowly towards her as he speaks, “and this amazing rumor of your mating with a dwarf, it does make it difficult for me to re instate you without losing face with our people. They consider you quite fallen.”

She has been backing up as he approached her, now she feels the hard twisted roots of a chestnut tree behind her and begins to feel cold to her bones.

“My Lord,”

He is close to her now but has not touched her. His voice softens but the effect is sickening rather than charming. “But rumors can be squashed. One’s image can be repaired; there are ways. My son still believes in your worth “ he seems to snort slightly at this statement, “… and he is very popular with our people in spite of his blatant partiality towards you. But restoring your reputation would of course come at a price.”

He shrugs out of his royal robe, tossing it aside, the silver Elven garment he wears beneath it shimmers across his broad chest and shoulders. He is not just big, but immense both in size and presence. He towers a full foot taller than Tauriel and his eyes glitter down at her as his bejeweled hands grasp her arms.

“My Lord, I would be willing to exile myself. If my presence displeases you I will leave—“

He smiles, “But you do not displease me at all.”

“My Lord…no”

“This need not be unpleasant. I have bedded many Sylvan females. If you were to bear me a child of Sindar spirit I could raise your status enough so that Legolas could court you. If your have sense enough to stop your foolishness and allow him into your bed in a timely enough manner he would think the child his.”

Tauriel’s head spins so much at these words that she can barely look at him. This is her King? It cannot be. He is like one of the great spiders they have been fighting, weaving a great web around all of them without them knowing it, without her ever suspecting he could be thus.

She gasps in horror as she feels his teeth seize her ear tip.

“No... I do not consent.” She says hoarsely.

“Whether you consent or not is of no consequence to me but of great consequence to you.”

She speaks again, more strongly, “ _I do not consent_.” She looks him in the eyes and brings her arms up to push against him, begins to move her legs and torso in rebellion. She knows once she begins to fight him the end result will be inevitable. She will not be able to stop him. She will not win. Her future will be changed forever because of this moment.

But she will fight him.

“I suspected as much.” His large hand grasps her by the throat. She can feel the cold metal of his rings and his fingers are so long they reach almost all the way around her neck. “I will enjoy it none-the-less.”

Tauriel’s warrior spirit fully awakens, and she screams not in fear but in rage as she unleashes all of her strength against him. But his three thousand year old immortal body is as hard and impervious as diamond and her fists, her knees, her feet are woeful weapons against him. She cannot even make marks in his skin with her nails or teeth. But his blows fall hard upon her and she tastes blood, sees lights going off within her own skull as she feels herself fading.

Even then, as she fights to her last intake of senses, she can hear him laughing.

************************************************

Legolas has a night ritual as well, but he walks outside of the great fortress instead of within it.

The air is fresh and the stars are comforting. He has always felt that his Woodland Realm was claustrophobic. He knows Tauriel always felt this way as well.

He has come to his favorite place to sit and is meditating there on what strategy might work to soften Tauriel’s heart to him when the wave hits him. His entire body springs up and he draws both of his swords, his eyes facing towards his home, his Kingdom.

“No…” he whispers, shaking his head. But the vision is there in his head and will not leave him, blinding as the Southern Sun. He begins to run.

“ _NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”_


	3. Up into the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legolas and Tauriel leave their Realm

He finds her lying on her side on the floor. Her night dress is torn and there is blood on her lip, bruises on her arms. Close to her head, Legolas finds a single, icy clear amethyst.

He shudders with anger and pain. He feels as though someone is erasing him, as though part of him is vanishing like the stars as they wink out one by one at sunrise. He cannot see a way through. It is as though his Elven clairvoyance is crippled. All is too bright, too blinding. He can only see that he must leave this Realm and take her with him.

He wraps a thick blanket around her and holds her for a moment, speaking softly, finally saying what he had been holding back for so long.

“ _Melamin, Tauriel. Uuma dela…”_

his shoulders begin to shake. He cannot believe he is weeping here on the floor like a youngling, him, a Warrior of the Sindar, a Prince of the Realm…

But he recognizes that these are his father’s words in his mind, and suddenly, fiercely rejects them.

He nuzzles her head gently with his. The words come easily now.

“ _Amin Hiraetha, Tauriel_. I hope you can forgive me someday.”

Some hours later he is riding North with Tauriel cradled before him, still unconscious. He dismounts carefully and carries her to a small spring, leaning her against a moss covered log. He is not a trained healer, but he does the best he can to clean her wounds and cleanse her of Thranduil’s attack.

He redresses her in her travel clothes as well. A warrior of her caliber should be arrayed as one. He fits her leather belt around her and sheathes her two favorite blades into it. He will carry her bow and arrows for now. She shivers, so he wraps the blanket back around her.

She is waking. As her awareness breaks her sits bolt upright and her arms fly forward. Legolas catches her,

“You are safe, Tauriel. We are in the woods, you are safe.”

She looks at him, her eyes wide. His jaw clenches at the cut on her lip, the bruise coloring her cheek.

“Legolas.” She breathes.

He hesitates. But she is so dear to him. She will need to talk of it sometime.

“What do you remember?” he asks, dreading the answer.

But as Tauriel begins to speak, she suddenly closes her eyes and brings her hands to her head, letting out a small cry of pain. Legolas hangs his head, looks back up at her.

“I am blocked.” She says.

“Yes. It would seem so.”

She looks at him, her expression hard. “You know who did this, don’t you?”

He senses that the less he speaks the better. He takes a deep breath, and seeks the clear amethyst from one of his pockets and warily places it into her hand.

But she screams in real pain as soon as she sees it, and he quickly conceals it again, wrapping his arms around her as she collapses into him, shaking.

Thranduil has used a powerful spell on her. She would experience pain any time she attempted to connect the attack with him. Until the spell was lifted she would not be able to remember that it was her King and his father who had raped her.

He admits that he has mixed feelings about this.

But at least she does not think that it was he who did this unforgivable thing.

Best to get her mind off of it until they can find a powerful elf healer to help her. He takes another deep breath.

“Tell me about your dwarf.”

She looks at him in utter amazement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Melamin = my beloved  
> Uuma dela = don't worry  
> Amin Hiraetha = I'm sorry
> 
> Just a breather before the next bit of drama.


	4. Spellbound

There are places in Tauriel’s mind that are raw and seem to ache from the effort of constantly steering away from any memory of the attack on her body. But each time she either thinks or speaks of Kili, it is like cool water flows into these places.

They are both walking as Legolas leads his horse. The day is beginning to dawn in the East. She is still unsteady, but it does feel better to walk.

She knows the cost to Legolas is high, asking her to tell him about Kili. She also senses great sorrow in him whose source she cannot define, and each time she guesses at it, she feels that terrible stabbing pain in her head again. She remembers the sting of him dragging her away from Kili against her will, claiming rights to her in front of the ancient ones. But she is also conscious of the fact that he has rescued her at some great loss to himself.

So they speak of generalities. They walk side by side. Both of their hearts weigh heavily.

Thus the blur of black haired dwarf that slams into Legolas from the side with a guttural roar of rage is a complete surprise to them.

Kili rolls across the ground with Legolas until the elf’s head is stopped against a great rock. Kili’s sword is out with both of his hands on the hilt as he digs the blade into Legolas’ chest plate, seeking an opening to the elf’s heart.

_“Give me a reason, elf! Give me half a reason!!!”_

Tauriel rushes over, grasping Kili’s shoulders, “Kili don’t! He did not harm me.”

He looks at Legolas, who remains silent. The elf’s eyes do not contain the anger they did the last time Kili saw him, in fact they are greatly changed. Kili’s eyes narrow. He is not convinced.

And when he looks at Tauriel’s face and sees the cuts and bruises, and sees the hollow look of her eyes, his ire is renewed.

“But _someone_ has harmed you!” he looks dangerously back at Legolas, not lowering his sword. He reaches one hand to caress the side of Tauriel’s head, while the other still holds his sword on Legolas. “Who??! Who has hurt you Tauriel?”

But Tauriels eyes shut tightly and she winces in pain, pulling away from him.

“You must not ask her!” Legolas speaks, finally. Kili looks dangerously at him. “She has been bewitched by her attacker so that any attempt to remember gives her pain.”

“And how do we know that was not you!!!!?” Fili, Bofur and Oin have reached the group, and look on the ongoing argument with wary concern.

“If I had been the spellcaster, she would not be able to be in my presence without pain.”

Kili looks at Tauriel, who is nodding, her eyes still squeezed shut.

He reluctantly releases Legolas who moves away from them. Kili moves to her, cupping her face in his hands, his expression blazing with concern.

“I am all right.”

“No, _Vaen,_ you are not. But you will be, I promise you I will see to that.”

He moves towards Legolas again, gripping the elf by the arm and whispering harshly.

“The spell, can you remove it?”

Legolas impatiently pulls free of Kili’s grip, “Don’t you think I would have done that already if I could?”

Kili’s eyes flash, “I know not, elf. As far as I have seen your treatment of Tauriel to this point does not give me any impression that you give a damn about her.”

Legolas flashes dangerously back, “ _At least I didn’t leave any bruises on her, Naugrim!”_

Kili flies forward and is barely stopped by Bofur,“Now, now then. One battle at a time, lads.”

He nods towards Tauriel, who is sitting with Oin and looking rather pale. Kili returns to her side.

As this scene continues, Fili watches in silence. Bofur finally speaks to Fili in a low voice, watching Kili speaking comfort to Tauriel as Oin checks her eyes and face.

“The lad comes back clean, healed and smelling of cornflowers with scratches down his back. She didn’t do that to him.”

Fili nods in agreement.

“So who did?”

Fili turns to approach Legolas who has distanced himself from the group. The two Princes regard each other. Fili is less impetuous than his brother, but no less determined.

“So you and Tauriel have been in the Woodland Realm these last 7 days?”

Legolas nods.

“Kili was not with you during this time?”

“No.”

“We only recovered him yesterday.” Says Fili, his voice has gone very quiet. “I want to know where my brother was during that time.”

Legolas is silent for a moment.

“The last time I saw your brother he was in the presence of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien.”

Another moment passes.

“My brother has no memory of this past week.” Fili’s voice is even, but Legolas can sense the contained anger in the young heir to Erebor. “My men and I found a fairy ring near the place where you and my brother fought, near where we found his sword. Your Elven ways are…unknown and strange to us. If you have any knowledge of what may have happened to Kili during this time I demand that you share it with me.”

  
Legolas lets out a sigh, deciding Fili is within his rights to ask this.

  
“Fairy rings are a very ancient magic. My people do not generally practice it. I do know that they can distort one’s experience of time. Even a short time spent within a ring can translate into days or even years outside of one. What was days for you may only have been a matter of hours for you brother.”

Another ominous silence passes.

“What would the Lady of Lothlorien want with Kili?”

Legolas looks at Fili with a look the young dwarf has never seen. It contains emotions Fili knows, such as betrayal and sorrow. But there is something ageless and mysterious there as well, like an abyss, like an emptiness that doubts of being ever filled again.

“Dwarf, I tell you truthfully that I no longer know of what my people are capable.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone's going to have to remove that spell.
> 
> Healing sex coming up....


	5. True children of the wilds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This begins sentimentally but ends in shameless smut.  
> Enjoy, comments very welcome.

Her head lies against his chest as he speaks to her. She cannot understand the words, but is soothed by the rich sounds of the Dwarvish he utters which vibrates deeply in his rib cage beneath her cheek.

_“Miz vaen Klynn…”_

The master’s boat rocks beneath them, and the stars show through the broken roof above them. It seemed the ideal place to go that night to spend their last night in Lake town, and no one had questioned it. If Kili’s kinsmen disapproved, they had said nothing, and Legolas had stayed on the mainland, preferring to spend this night alone.

_“Miz dusz grom klynn…”_

Tommorrow they would be traveling North towards the Lonely Mountain and the Town of Dale. It was rumored some of the high elves had gathered there, and they might find one who could reverse the spell cast upon Tauriel.

Kili’s arms press her close as he continues to speak Khuzdul. The water laps softly against the sides of the boat. His warm hand strokes her back. Her mind stays easily away from whatever painful memory the spell forbids her to remember. His voice and touch are cool drops of rain against that raw place. Like the soft rain that falls on the Oak leaves in the woods when they are young and bright green in the Springtime, so that by the time the water reaches the forest floor it has traveled across the surface of so many leaves that it has gained the taste of the sweet leaf food that makes the caterpillars fat… that rain that flows down through the crags of tree bark and turns their color a deep blackish brown… that flows across stream pebbles, polishing them and brightening their colors…

Her forest.

600 years of memory must go somewhere.

The pain that comes to her now is not coerced, but is simply the sorrow of losing her home.

Kili does not even realize she is weeping at first, she is so quiet. Her tears begin to make a damp place on his tunic. He brushes his lips against the top of her head, continuing to speak softly as her shoulders tremble and her hand grasps at his.

_“Nai zhufitak, Tauriel, Nai zhufitak…”_

_***********_

When he opens his eyes it is still dark, and she is sitting in the bow of the boat silhouetted against the stars and a sliver of crescent moon. He moves to join her.

She sits cross legged, her hands at work on one side of her hair. She is undoing one of her long braids.

In the small amount of moonlight her eyes meet his. He sees determination. Silently he seats himself behind her, takes one of her other braids, and begins to undo it.

After a little while Tauriel’s long red hair hangs completely free of Elven braids and clasps. He still sits behind her with his legs on either side of her. She is gazing ahead inwardly, her fingers traveling through a newly released rivulet of hair that zigzags downward from her forehead to her waist.

Kili nuzzles into the back of her head, inhaling that scent he had first experienced just on the other side of this wall, oak-aged mead…

“You have such beautiful hair.”

He begins to run his hands through it. She tilts her head back obligingly and closes her eyes, murmuring with pleasure as his fingers stroke her scalp, pulling the mass of soft thickness gently back and raising it off of her neck, alternating his hands and catching it back and forth. He finally pushes it all to one side, exposing her neck, and presses his lips there.

She leans into him as his arms slide around her and she folds them in with her own. His mouth travels up her neck, his tongue finding the edge of her ear, his teeth beginning to nibble on it—

Tauriel lets out a scream and goes rigid against him.

“Tauriel?!”

Her eyes are closed and she has turned and begun to beat at him with her fists. He lets her hit him, his hide is tough enough to absorb it, and he manages to place his hands around her face, careful not to touch her ears again,

“Tauriel it’s me! You are safe, Tauriel, it’s just me! It’s Kili!”

She begins to calm down. He continues speaking softly.

“ _Miz Vaen, duzkat…”_

She looks at him realizes what has happened, her eyes wide with shame.

“Oh, I am sorry.”

“It is all right. It is nothing.”

 _“It is not all right! I will not be a pawn to this!”_ She shakes her head, then looks at him resolutely.

“You must do it again.”

“I…what?”

“Do it again. Nibble on my ear again. I must get past this.”

Rather gingerly, Kili approaches her again. He brushes his face against hers, kissing her cheek carefully.

“You are sure?” He whispers.

“Yes, just please do it.”

He pushes her hair back from her ear again, and slowly, speaking soft Khuzdul as he goes, he places his mouth against her ear and traces his tongue along the edge, then nibbles carefully.

She trembles slightly but stays with him. He is in front of her this time, her face pressed to his muscled shoulder. The dwarf feel, scent and fabric of him is so different from her Elven attacker that the memory is not triggered, and they relax and begin to enjoy each other again.

She pulls back and they face each other. Now Kili can see the full effect of her newly loosened hair. His smile reaches all the way to his eyes as he touches the river of silken red that cascades down in front of her ears.

“You are a true child of the wilds, now,” he laughs softly, his eyes twinkling, “daughter of the stars…”

 _Cool, sweet water_ , she thinks.

She slides her hands under the edges of his tunic and pulls upwards, until it is over his head and he tosses it aside. She caresses his shoulders, his chest, and their mouths meet and touch with the same slow rhythm. He begins to return her attentions, tugging at the laces of her doublet.

“Perhaps we will have fewer problems if you allow me to lead.” She says softly as she pulls on his belt buckle.

He blinks at her. “Right,” he says, breathing rather heavily, “Well, if I must.”

She works his pants open and settles herself down in the boat, wrapping an arm around his left thigh and pressing her mouth there as her hand encircles his shaft. His leg muscles are as thick and hard as a young birch tree, and she relishes kissing him even through cloth as she makes her way closer to where her hand caresses him. He is moaning softly and stroking her head with his hand, again careful not to touch her ear tips.

Intending to finish what had been so rudely interrupted days before, she brings her mouth to him, kissing first, drawing her hand across his stomach muscles, still holding his leg firmly in her other arm. She finally slips her mouth over him and pulls deeply.

“Ohh, Tauriel…” he says raggedly, unable to keep his legs still, his head falling backwards. She continues for some time, holding his legs and clutching at his thighs and knees as he grows harder in her warm mouth.

At length she disengages and pulls him down into the boat with her, rolling him onto his back. He helps her pull her clothing off before she mounts him, her back arching with the pleasure of it. His face is flushed and his eyes glitter as he begins to push upwards into her, but she stops him.

“No, let me lead.” She whispers.

His eyes roll backwards and he makes a sound somewhere between a snarl and a whimper, but acquiesces and lies still as she moves her own muscular body against him. He is afraid he might bruise her again and in frustration finally grabs hold of the opposite edges of the boat with his hands and hangs on for dear life as she begins to move faster…

*****************

Fili had not been able to sleep. He has been walking through the town, thinking of his kin in the Lonely Mountain, and worrying about his brother.

He finally sits near the water where he can see the crescent moon shining near the Lonely Mountain’s peak. The lake is not completely frozen yet. Chunks of ice float with spaces of dark water between them. The water is like glass and the stars are perfectly reflected.

Until abruptly they are not.

A series of waves crosses near where he sits, lifting the chunks of ice up and down and lapping languidly against the dock. He looks in the direction of their origin and sees the Master’s boathouse.

The frequency of the waves is increasing, until the beating of the ice chunks and splashing of water up through the dock boards forces him to move back to remain dry.

He hears the unmistakable sound of two stifled cries of ecstasy carrying across the water at him.

 _“Makk aln ha’ak!!!”_ Fili swears in a whisper, punching the great tree trunk that marks the corner of the house near where he stands.

Thorin is going to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Makk aln ha’ak!!!” = Son of a Bitch
> 
> I am wondering how to develop this next. Does Tauriel get healed by Galadriel? Elrond? Celeborn? or can she simply be healed by love? would welcome your ideas.


	6. Healing Words

The Town of Dale is becoming a gathering place for armies of many races. They have taken over some of the greater halls and homes, their weapons lining the town walkways, chunked into the deep snow. Their horses crowd into the barns. All know of the treasure inside the Lonely Mountain, of the slaying of the great dragon that had guarded it, and of the great orc army that marches Northward intending to claim it.

The high elves of Rivendell and Lothlorien occupy the ancient home of Lord Girion. Galadriel, Celeborn and Elrond confer together in a large ornate receiving room. They are speaking together in hushed tones when one of the young Rivendell elves enters.

“My Lords, Prince Legolas is here with a young Sylvan elf maid and a party of dwarves. He requests an audience with you.”

Galadriel does not even look up. She knew they were coming, and speaks first.

“Bring the Woodland Prince in first, alone. Tell the others we will speak to them as well, in their turn.”

The elf nods. In a few moments, Legolas enters and kneels before them.

She reaches out to him with her mind, and winces.

Legolas looks up at the three oldest and wisest beings in Middle Earth. He is grateful they allowed him to come in first. He is not certain where to begin, finally deciding to start from where he had last left their presence.

Elrond and Celeborn’s brows furrow as he tells his story, both settling into the great wooden chairs near them, their faces greatly concerned. Only Galadriel remains standing.

“You are quite certain of your father’s transgression?”

Legolas’ face is pale and drawn. He has been too shamed to look his listeners in the eyes as he has spoken the events of the past week. He draws the amethyst from his pocket and wordlessly presents it to Galadriel, who has approached him and takes it in her hand.

Her body shivers as it touches her. There is a coldness that emanates from it, and she sees flashes of Thranduil’s mind as her hand clenches around it. He has gone far beyond the paranoia and short-sightedness she had worried about. He has touched evil.

She turns to Celeborn and Elrond, her face grief-stricken, her mind speaking silently to them.

“ _He has lost his father, and so have we.”_

Celeborn rises, nodding. He approaches Legolas and touches the young elf’s shoulder gently. “I would speak with you, Prince Legolas, if you would consent to walk with me.”

Legolas rises and nods to Celeborn, but turns to Elrond and Galadriel, his eyes supplicant.

“Would you please help my kinswoman Tauriel? I beg you would disregard her lineage altogether. She is my friend, and she is the very best of all of us, and does not deserve –did not deserve—“ his voice is stopped with emotion and he looks away, ashamed of his impetuousness.

But Elrond stands up now and speaks with honest spirit, “I vow to you Prince Legolas I will do my best to relieve Tauriel of this harmful spell. Be at Peace. Walk with Celeborn.”

******

They enter the hall together, Tauriel and Kili first, Fili, Bofur and Oin behind them. Fili again cannot help noticing Tauriel’s hair, which is now completely free of braids but which is pulled back and clasped by a dwarvish clasp lent to her by Kili.

Bofur, always the diplomatic one, had kidded her about it to Kili’s horror, saying

“Ahh, all ya need now is a proper beard.”

Tauriel had laughed. Fili had to admit he couldn’t help liking her. But she was still an elf, and he and Kili were still dwarf princes, and he could see terrible trouble ahead.

He looks warily at the two ancient elves before him now. He has never seen the Lady of Lothlorien but has heard many stories. _Witch, manipulator, dangerous mind reading ring- bearing bitch..._

She is also stunningly beautiful.

He steps firmly on that thought, looking at his little brother, whom Fili strongly suspects has been her latest most innocent victim…he feels great anger thinking of it. He looks her directly in the eyes, and notices that she is regarding him as well. She feels her invade his mind and fearlessly sends her precisely what he is thinking. He is surprised to see her smile at him.

Elrond is speaking. “You are Tauriel of the Woodland Realm?”

Tauriel has knelt before the ancients and nods. Kili, Bofur and Oin do the same. Fili defiantly remains standing.

“Yes, my Lord Elrond. It is an honor.” Says Tauriel.

“I have heard of you, Tauriel. Your bravery and skills as Captain of the Wood Elf Guard is quite legend.”

Tauriel’s eyes widen at this and she looks at Elrond, surprised. Kili looks sideways at her, his heart swelling with pride as he sends her a warm smile.

Tauriel stammers, “I did not know you knew of me, my Lord.”

Elrond’s eyes twinkle as he gives her his hand and bids them all rise. “We are Guardians of Middle Earth, Captain Tauriel. It is our responsibility to know as much as we can.”

Galadriel speaks to Fili and Kili, “And you are Fili and Kili, sons of the Lady Dis and sister sons of Thorin Oakenshield, am I correct?”

“You are correct.” Answers Fili, his voice reverberating around the great hall. Kili regards his brother curiously. He has had a strange feeling ever since he entered this room and cannot quite understand why.

Galadriel looks at Fili, her eyes enigmatic.

“You are the heir to the throne of Erebor, Fili son of Dis. You already show the soul of a fine leader.”

“And do you have the soul of a fine Guardian, my Lady?”

Kili looks wide-eyed at his brother. Elrond looks to Galadriel, raising his eyebrows. Galadriel raises a quelling hand, and speaks to Fili directly.

“I would speak with you and your two kinsmen, Prince Fili. I believe you have questions which I may be able to answer.” She turns to Elrond, “If I am not mistaken, you will need Prince Kili’s presence to help in healing CaptainTauriel.” She looks to Fili, gesturing to the door to the great hall, inviting him, Oin and Bofur to join her.

Fili looks to Elrond. “I understand you are going to attempt to heal Tauriel of a spell placed upon her. I want your promise that whatever you attempt, you will not harm my brother in the process.”

Elrond nods to Fili. “I give you my word as a healer. It is part of my sworn oath as a Guardian.”

Fili nods gravely, and finally leaves with the others.

 

Tauriel is seated in one of the great chairs. Elrond is seated just opposite her. Kili stands near Tauriel, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder.

Elrond can sense that Tauriel’s fea is strongly linked to the young dwarf. It does not take millennia of Elven magical training to understand why. He knows from experience that the bond between them can hold mysterious powers and could well help Tauriel’s healing process. Galadriel was wise to bid Kili to stay.

He places his hands on either side of Tauriel’s head. She has a strong spirit, but she is frightened. She has never been violated before and violation has clearly been done. He feels the warrior within her, her identity tied to her ability with the bow and the sword, her fierce loyalty to her people but also her generous heart that has reached beyond her realm even to the human and dwarf races.

He delves more deeply. He finds the place in her memory where the blockage is, and Tauriel winces.

He sits back, speaking to them both. “The spell is strong, but you have already managed to weaken it.” He takes Tauriel’s hands in his. “I am going to begin releasing the spell. You will begin to remember things, and it may be disturbing for it will feel as though you are reliving it.”

Tauriel only looks more determined. “I must be free of this.” She says.

Elrond nods, and then takes Kili’s hands and brings them to clasp Tauriel’s hands so that Kili now kneels beside her.

“Do not speak unless I command it.” Elrond says to Kili, “Your presence will help. Do not let go of her.”

Kili nods, and Tauriel touches her forehead to him for a moment.

“I will be right here, _vaen_.”

“I am glad of it, _melamin_.”

She returns her attention to Elrond. “I am ready.”

Elrond again places his hands on either side of her head. Both elves close their eyes.

_“‘Kshonna, wanya…”_

Her feet are bare, she is alone…

_“Panta tangwa…”_

Ice cold blue eyes, they hover high above her… he is tall and powerful and she is weaponless… her head begins to hurt, to spin…

“ _Tanka harwar... tanka harwar…”_

Coolness descends, a relieving coolness, like stars twinkling in a deep black sky…the stars were twinkling that night. She was in her own chambers. Someone came to the door and entered without knocking. Tall…blue eyes…richly robed…she can remember this now without pain…

“ _Panta tangwa_ …”

_I have come to speak to you about your situation…I am loathe to lose you…your disobedience to me…_

A small moan escapes Tauriel’s lips.

_One’s image can be repaired … but that would come at a price..._

She feels the strong hands grasping her arms, the hard metal of the rings on his fingers, the eyes so cold and blue and …regal.

The pain comes again, fiercely this time. She feels nauseated.

_Tanka harwar... tanka harwar…”_

Again coolness descends, the pain recedes. She can remember the silver garment he wore, the feel of the chestnut roots behind her back, something about giant spiders…

“ _Tyela neuma…!”_

Tauriel gasps.

_I do not consent!_

_Whether you consent or not is of no consequence to me but of great consequence to you…_

_She is fighting him. The eyes she is remembering, the great jeweled hands, the branching crown of amethysts, the cruel laughing mouth…she is fighting her King because it is her King who is attacking her…her own King who is violating her body and mind…she is screaming in rage, in spite of the pain, in spite of everything…_

_“Tanka tel taurium…! ‘Kshonna wanya…tanka harwar…”_

Coolness again, and the pain is nearly gone, but she feels no peace. Her King… Her own King Thranduil did this…Poor Legolas…no wonder…no wonder…

“Kili…now, speak to her now…”

Her eyes open. She is no longer in the great chair but is on the floor cradled in Kili’s arms. Kili is whispering to her in Khuzdul. She is still gripping his hands and it is clear that he took Elrond’s command to not let go of her very seriously. Elrond sits near watching them with a concerned and curious expression.

She looks at the ancient Elf Lord. “It was Thranduil.” She whispers.

Elrond simply nods solemly.

Kili looks at them both sharply, disbelief and rage doing battle on his face.

“ _Thranduil???!! KING Thranduil??”_

Elrond silently rises to his feet. Tauriel is staring forward, her eyes fierce.

Kili is not satisfied.

“What will be done about him?? He must be punished; he cannot be allowed to get away with this!!”

“Whatever will be done about King Thranduil will not be decided by you, young Prince Kili. This is a matter for the high Elf Counsel, and for the Guardians.”

Tauriel places a calming hand on Kili, who seems ready to protest.

“I am grateful for your help, My Lord Elrond. We will leave this matter in your hands. Whatever happens next, I no longer fear my own thoughts, and for that I thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tyela neuma = mind untrap  
> Panta tangwa= unlock  
> Tanka t’el taurnin = greater heal  
> tanka harwar = heal  
> 'Kshonna, wanya = dispel
> 
> So I took a lot of liberties here with Elven Spell words, but this is fantasy after all.  
> comments always welcome.


	7. The Stars are out of line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some important conversations that set up some interesting upcoming controntations...  
> Took me a while to get this done, been busy at work lately.

Gandalf has ridden far and he is tired. The work that he and the White Counsel have done in the past days has been difficult and costly, and yet the Grey Wizard knows the work is far from over.

As he walks his horse through the stone streets of Dale, the first familiar face he sees is Kili. The young dwarf is doing what everyone else seems to be doing; preparing for war. A full quiver of new arrows rests against the wall beside him, and he is working on more. He is concentrating on fitting a metal tip onto the arrow in his hand, filing the steel to a sharp point. Something in Kili’s eyes catches Gandalf’s attention. There is something new there…an anger that goes beyond pre-battle emotion as he scrapes at the deadly arrow tip as though picturing in his mind the particular person whose heart he wishes it to pierce.

But when Kili sees Gandalf the sun reemerges.

“Gandalf!” He leaps up to take the wizard’s hand warmly in greeting, taking the reins of the horse as Gandalf dismounts.

“It is good to see you, Kili. And I am glad to see you are all preparing for the dark army that is coming. You will all need to work together to defeat it.” He looks distantly at the plains below the City. 

“Have you and your brother been to see your uncle, yet?”

“No. We travel there in the morning.”

“That is good. Thorin will need you and Fili now.” He regards Kili intently then. “What else has been happening?”

The shadow falls again. Kili sighs heavily. “Much.”

As Kili begins to speak, Gandalf can tell that there are gaps in his story. One mystery is solved when Tauriel appears in the street ahead of them. During the brief time she interacts with them, bowing low to Gandalf as Kili introduces her, and then in their tender looks towards each other as Tauriel tells Kili she is going to speak to Legolas and will meet him later for dinner, Gandalf sees all he needs to see.  He smiles.  Many will not react well to this, but he has lived long enough to know that inter-racial matches are never as dreadful as people think them to be.  Seeing any kind of love between two beings, after all he has just gone through, lightens his heart.

But he is gravely concerned at hearing of the attack upon Tauriel, and of Thranduil accused. They walk in silence towards Lord Girion’s manor house. The upcoming battle has more potential fronts than Gandalf could ever have anticipated.

They have reached the great door. The wizard looks at Kili closely once again. Kili looks sideways at him.

“What?”

Gandalf smiles slightly. “There has been a change in you of late, Kili, Sister Son of Thorin.”

Kili is silent a moment, then looks at Gandalf directly.

“I still do not feel that I have a true home yet, Master Gandalf, but I do feel that I have more to fight for now than I ever did before.”

 

Now inside Girion’s house, they hear voices coming towards them and see Galadriel walking with Fili.

“—you know your brother better than I do, Prince Fili. I leave it to you. I will do as you ask.”

They look up as Kili and Gandalf approach. Fili looks at Kili. His younger brother has always been one who needed watching. Always too curious, always too forward, always getting himself into scrapes. But there were times when Fili had thought that perhaps his brother may have learned more about the world from all of his mistakes than he himself had in avoiding them.

Kili stood there now next to Gandalf, as unselfconscious as ever, a Dwarf Prince, a mature warrior, fiercely loyal to his kin, but in love with an Elf, and unapologetic. His shoulders are squared and steadily bear his bow and quiver of arrows. Fili knows of no other dwarf whose skill at archery can match his brother’s. And he knows, too, that Kili’s heart is as true as his aim. He meets his siblings’ gaze and is certain of what Kili would do if their positions were reversed.

It had always been thus between them, and must remain thus.

Fili turns to Galadriel and looks up at her evenly, but not disrespectfully.

“Please tell him.”

She bows her head to him, and he bows in return.

“Tell me what?” says Kili, frowning at them, looking at Galadriel warily.

Fili grasps Kili’s shoulder briefly, “I will see you later.” he says, then more softly, “ _Vennag rem, Khazash_.” and he leaves.

Gandalf wisely nods a brief greeting to Galadriel, who smiles sadly at him. The wizard makes his way to the great hall where Elrond waits for him.

Kili and Galadriel are left alone.

************************************************

Tauriel finds Legolas on a rooftop, looking out at the wintery sky and landscape.

He looks up. He sees her eyes first and understands that she is cured of the curse, and feels relief. Then he understands that she knows, and his heart regains its heaviness.

She sits next to him and looks out at the snow covered plain. Elves from Rivendell are down there, just a small contingent.  A group from Lothlorien are there, too, and--

Elves from the Woodland Realm. Thranduil is down there.

Tauriel finally speaks. “You spoke with Lord Celeborn?”

“Yes.” Legolas says absently. “Actually, I did most of the talking. He just…listened.”

“He sounds very wise.” She thinks about the three ancient elves she has just met. She had felt very different in their presence than she had ever felt with Thranduil.  There were colors that came from them that swirled in her mind, coalescing, though she did not realize it, with the qualities of her own fea. They glowed with a light that seemed to come from something ageless and unimpeachable. She remembers Elrond’s great gentle hands on either side of her head, and breathes deeply, exhaling long.

Legolas looks at her, “You are feeling better?”

“I am.” She waits a moment. “Legolas, I do not hold you responsible for your father’s transgression.”

He is shaking his head even before she finishes speaking, “I dragged you back there and put you in danger—“

“You did not know what your father would do—“

“But I should have!!!!” he shouts this, his voice trembling, his hands clutching at the stone on which they are sitting. “I saw things, I heard whispers. I put it down to the complaining of malcontents, to the undisciplined mental wanderings of those who were disloyal, who coveted higher status, who did not agree with my father’s wish to protect the Realm…”

“But my father was never interested in protecting our Realm. At least not in the way that I thought.”

He looks at her, “ _Amin Hiraetha, Tauriel_.”

She takes his hand, nodding. They sit in silence for a moment.

“The stars are out of line.” He says.

"Yes."

"I am going down there tonight.  I must speak to him."

"I am coming with you."

He looks at her sharply.  "Tauriel--"

"I will not interfere with your time with your father, Legolas."  She says quickly, "But I must walk amongst our people again.  And I must confront Thranduil as well."

"I shall not allow you to be in his presence without me."

She looks at him intently, and finally nods, "As you wish, my Prince."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vennag rem, Khazash = come talk later, brother  
> Amin Hiraetha = I am sorry


	8. Do not be so eager to deal out death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a coming of age chapter for both Kili and Fili...and perhaps Galadriel too.  
> I would welcome your comments on this one.

Kili is walking through the streets of Dale. His eyes are down and unseeing. His hands alternate between balled fists and extended fingers that he shakes nervily. He walks straight through several snowdrifts, ignores several called greetings from local people, and bangs his forehead on a low hanging sign in front of an Inn. He does not feel it.

He has no destination, and wishes for no company.

_I took something from you without asking for your permission…_

He balls his fists again.

_I wish to return it…_

He has reached a gate that exits the city, and heads for a lone oak tree on a nearby hill.

He remembers again. The warmth of the water and softness of her skin is so real he nearly catches himself moaning. The smell of the wildflowers comes back to him, the taste of her mouth.

He throws himself down with his back against the tree and holds his head in his hands, cursing.

_You…you were the one who let him take her! And then you…took me!?_

Even now he can feel her touching his mind. He cannot believe he was not aware of her before, he is certain she has done it before, there in the great hall when they had all gone in with Tauriel…how could he not have recognized it?

Enthralled by an elf, how would he live it down…

He can feel her now, he can hear her soft voice inside his head, feel a soothing coolness…

_I am sorry, Kili._

He throws his head back and roars at the night sky. Her touch leaves him and does not return.

What else has he missed? How else has he been used because of his lack of wisdom? Was his uncle right about what he’d said, _“You know nothing of the world…”?_ His own kin have a deep mistrust of elves and he never understood why.

This was why.

But there is another thought that is playing at the edges of his mind, and he fights it, does not want it to take form, does not want to even consider it…

_Can he even trust Tauriel?_

He leaps up, drawing his sword, and he begins to hack at the tree as though it were a great hulking goblin.

**************

Fili is not surprised when Kili does not appear at dinner. Bofur and Oin are worried and want to look for him, but Fili knows better. His brother will need some time alone.  
He did not allow Bofur and Oin to stay and listen as Galadriel had answered his questions. He is still angered by her actions, but believes that she feels remorse. He would not have left Kili alone with her otherwise. She had told him that she owed Kili a debt.

For whatever that may be worth.

It may actually be worth a great deal. He does not clearly understand the nature of this debt, but on the eve of this major battle, any extra protection that may come to his brother is most welcome to Fili.

Tauriel and Legolas enter the great room of the Inn where they are staying. Fili notices that they are in their full travel gear and do not shed their weapons as they move to sit at a corner table together, deep in conversation. He rises and moves towards them.

Tauriel looks up and greets him. “I am glad to find you here, Prince Fili. I have been looking for Kili, do you know where he is?”

He shakes his head. “I have not seen him.” He sees Legolas look at him suspiciously. He turns the conversation quickly, “You seem to be preparing to travel?”

Tauriel and Legolas exchange looks. “Yes,” says Legolas, “We are going down to our Realm’s encampment.”

Fili’s eyes widen. “You plan to confront Thranduil yourselves?”

Legolas bristles. “Our business there is our own.”

Tauriel is more accommodating, laying a calming hand on Legolas, “We go in the hopes of offering help to those our King may have misled. They are still our people.”

Fili nods, regarding Tauriel curiously. He’d seen the effects of Thranduil’s spell on her, and cannot help admiring her courage.

He bows to them both, “May your endeavors succeed. Until we meet again.”

******************************

 

Gandalf, Elrond and Celeborn finally leave the great hall after long deliberation concerning King Thranduil.

_The young dwarf is right. He should be punished._

_He is a sovereign monarch. We do not have the authority to interfere in a King’s rule of his own people…_

_But if what Legolas has told me is accurate Thranduil’s rule has done great harm to his people…_

_Misuse of Elven spells is punishable by death in some cases…_

_Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement…_

Elrond and Celeborn have gone to their chambers to rest. Gandalf wanders the halls a little longer, thinking. He is wondering what has happened between Galadriel and Kili, and is just beginning to form possible explanations in his mind when he sees the ancient Elf Lady in a corner of the dark hallway before him. She is leaning against the wall, a faint glow emanating from her, which is the only reason his eye was drawn to her. A large open window is only a short distance from where she stands, and Gandalf would have expected to see her there, bathed in starlight and moonshine, rather than standing in darkness. He grows concerned. As he nears her, he is startled to see great tears sliding down her face.

“My Lady, what is the matter???” He takes her hands, and is alarmed to find them cold.

“Mithrandir…” she speaks in a whisper, “I am in violation of my Guardianship.”

As she tells him her story, he holds her hands firmly in his, and his eyes do not waver from hers.

“I have hurt him, so badly…”

“You did not intend to—“

“It was childish and selfish. I had forgotten…these mortal feelings…I had forgotten how strong they are…”

Celeborn has quietly joined them. “Perhaps it is good that we remember.”

Galadriel looks at her companion of so many millennia, fresh tears building in her eyes. He gathers her against him.

“Do not imagine, my Lady, that you are the only Guardian to have ever made a mistake.” Says Gandalf, releasing her hands to the care of her old friend.

“…a mistake I must atone for.” She says, looking out at the stars.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is deep into the night when Fili finally goes to find his brother. He knows Kili will not be near people, so it is not difficult to trace his brother’s path outside the city to the great oak tree.

The ancient tree has seen its last days of growth. It lies on its side, its trunk hewn from bark to core by a thousand blows of Kili’s sword. Kili sits on the abated aged carcass, his back leaning against a branch that once stretched out horizontally. He does not look up as Fili climbs up to join him and seats himself next to him.

“This is why you were so defiant in the great hall before.”

“Yes.”

“And when you all left, you went to discuss…me.”

“I sent Bofur and Oin away. Galadriel spoke only with me.”

Kili nods. They are silent a moment.

“I am a fool.”

“You are my brother, and you have the heart of a lion, and all of our people know that.”

“But I was weak, why could I not have stopped her…”

“She is an 8000 year old elf, and one of the most powerful beings in Middle Earth. Not even Dwalin could have resisted her once she had her intentions in mind.”

They chortle a bit at this. “I am not so certain about that.” Says Kili dryly. Fili is relieved to see his brother’s true self re-surfacing.

“She would not be able to do it again.” Says Kili, becoming serious.

“No, I dare say not. Your mind and heart have been changed and you have become stronger for it.”

They sit silent for another moment.

“Do you think Tauriel …have I been bewitched by her too?”

Fili considers this question very carefully.

“The only magic I ever saw Tauriel use with you was when she healed your leg and saved your life.”

Kili’s hand falls to his leg. He had almost forgotten the wound there. He suddenly realizes that it no longer twinges at all, that it has not hurt him since…

“You may also consider that she was a victim of much worse elf magic than you were, as you well know.”

Kili nods again, still frowning, but his shoulders have relaxed, and his hands are no longer clenching his sword hilt.

“…and perhaps it is not such a bad thing to be the favorite of beautiful elven lasses.”

Kili growls savagely at this and throws himself at Fili, who takes his brother’s punches good-naturedly with minimal defense, and has the sense not to laugh. They wrestle their way down through broken tree branches and down to the ground, the memory of a thousand sparring sessions sending a physical form of relief through them both until they finally stop and sit in the snow, breathing hard and picking twigs out of their hair.

“I don’t know, brother,” says Fili finally, “can it not be a kind of compliment? It was not such an awful experience after all, was it?”

Kili rolls his eyes at him, but makes no comment.

“Where is Tauriel now?” Kili asks.

“She and Legolas have gone to the Woodland Realm encampment down on the plain.”

Kili’s head snaps around and he jumps to his feet. “What?! You only tell me this now? Why did you not come find me sooner?!”

“And how would that have gone?”

Kili concedes the point, but is still greatly agitated.

“You let her go back to that den of snakes with that _Dekhel_??!!”

Fili raises his eyebrows, “You think _I_ had any say in the matter?”

Fili waits and watches Kili, seeing the play of thoughts crossing his face.

“But I should have gone with her—“

“No, you should not.”

“Why not?”

“You KNOW why not!!!!”

They regard each other intensely for a moment. Behind Fili, Kili sees the dark shadow of the Lonely Mountain looming up against a sea of stars.

Kili finally relaxes, sighing heavily.

“We are for Erebor at sunrise.” Says Fili, patting Kili’s shoulder roughly. “Better get some rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This feels like the right place to end this Part II and begin a Part III.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this far, and for your thought provoking comments. I am not writing to provide answers; I am really writing to explore questions and engender thought...If I have done that for you then I am glad.
> 
> I hope you will find the third and last part interesting. I have some ideas about the final battle, about Thorin and his nephews, and about the fate of Thranduil and his Kingdom.


End file.
